BRUSSELS: EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday that 70 percent of adults in the bloc have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Overall, 57 percent of over-18s are now fully vaccinated across the 27 nations, she said in a statement. "These figures put Europe among the world leaders. But we need to keep up the effort," von der Leyen said.
The European Commission president sounded a warning over the "very dangerous" Delta variant of the virus that has increasingly taken hold on the continent and seen infection rates begin to tick up again. "I therefore call on everyone - who has the opportunity - to be vaccinated. For their own health and to protect others," she said.
The European Commission -- which has been in charge of securing vaccinations for the bloc -- had earlier set the target of getting 70 percent of adults fully vaccinated by the end of summer. Von der Leyen said on July 10 that the EU had delivered enough vaccines to reach that level.
The inoculation drive in the bloc has picked up speed dramatically after a bumpy start due to supply shortfalls that saw it lag behind pacesetters like the United States, Britain and Israel.